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Indonesian Muslim Body Forbids Liberal Islam
 Indonesiaâs top Islamic council issued a religious edict yesterday forbidding any liberal interpretation of Islam in the worldâs most populous Muslim nation.
| "Nope. Nope. Can't do it. It's my way or the highway!" |
âReligious liberalism is haram (forbidden),â said a fatwa, or doctrine, issued by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) and seen by Reuters. âThis is a reminder for Muslims to follow the religion in a correct way and not to try to deviate from the principles,â Maaruf Amin, chief the MUIâs Fatwa Commission, told Reuters.
| "Not one little bit. We're watching you, y'know..." |
Another fatwa banned inter-religious marriages in Indonesia where 85 percent of its 220 million follow Islam.
| "Don't want no damned infidels sniffin' around our wimmin!" |
There is widespread debate in Indonesia over inter-religious marriages with some clerics saying Muslim men can marry non-Muslim women.
| "But Muslim wimmin can't marry no damned infidels!" |
But Amin said the MUI had decided to ban such marriages âfor the sake of Indonesian Muslimsâ.
| "Better to just stay away from it. Next thing y'know, you'd be sayin' 'yes, dear,' and takin' out the garbage. Go off on jihad for a few years and there she is, waitin' for you at the door when you get back, with a rollin' pin!" |
âThis is the strongest view at the MUI and we are doing this to improve the religion quality of the Muslim,â Amin added. The fatwas underlined the growing influence of hardliners in Indonesia, where most Muslims embrace a moderate form of Islam.
| Even though they're not allowed to... |
Indonesia is officially secular and recognizes Christianity and other religions.
| There wouldn't be any Islam in Indonesia if the Hindus and Buddhists who ran things in the old days had adopted the same attitudes as today's Moose limbs... |
Posted by: Fred 2005-07-30 |
